Rock temple of Dambulla - Sri Lanka - Cultural Triangle

148 kms from Colombo and South of Sigiriya is another vast isolated rock mass on the summit of which a is a cluster of five temples which from ancient times have been the abode of monks. It was here that King Valagam Bahu took refuge in the 1st century B.C. He later turned the caves into a rock temple.Hewn out of this rock is a gigantic recumbent image of the Buddha 14 metre long. These temples are painted throughout with most exquisite murals depicting the life and teachings of the Buddha. Some of the frescoes are over 2,000 years old.